de S. wished good voyage to London, and the cocher asked, as I was delicately handling B. F.'s portrait, if that was the Franklin who perished in the Northern Seas. Queer but disappointing. Cocher evidently took a lively interest in the frozen party, and but a cold, indifferent one in the to him unheard-of philosopher. Now straight to Legoupy's whose packer declared he could have all ready by 4 o'clock. I did not believe him, but by way of encouragement pretended to, and held out to him as reward, in case of success, that I would gladly contribute something to the Washington Monument, which, let us hope, will never be completed.

There was time enough between this and five o'clock to go to the Legation, but small chance of finding Mr. Dix there. So I went to the consulate and offered David 1 to pay his passage and expenses if he would go with B. F. to London to-night. David would gladly but could not; had infrangible pre-engagements for this evening; I almost found, but missed another man, who would, it was thought, take charge of the box and surely deliver it Sunday, for 50 francs. During these entrefaites, four o'clock sounded. At past, the caisse was on the back of Legoupy's boy following your servant up the Boulevard. The very best I could do at the R. and express office was to obtain the most positive assurance, that a special messenger should take the box from Cannon Street to Cleveland Square before noon on Monday. There is no delivery at any price on Sunday. I was on the point of deciding what I had been debating ever since morning -to take a go and return ticket and carry box and baggage to London myself. But you know how I hate

2

I The trusty messenger at the Consulate and now the Dean of the representatives of the U. S. in foreign parts.

2 Where I was staying with some friends.

VOL. I.-2.

travelling at all times. On leaving the express office, I passed a brief telegrammatic sentence to your address, through the window of Grand Hotel T. bureau. The gentleman who counted its letters estimated them at 6 francs, which is more, proportionately, than what you paid for B. F.'s MSS. and flattering to me. If I am ever able, I shall set up a telegraph wire, and dance on to fortune.

Although my way along the quais and other marts where books do congregate, are not as they were when you were my fellow pilgrim, yet are they still not all without pleasantness. Thus, coming away from my annual visit to the neuvaine fête of St. Genevieve three weeks ago, I fell upon the rummest bronze medallion of B. Franklin (hitherto quite unheard of by this subscriber) that ever you could conceive of. And yet another day, one of those days lapsed last week from the polar circles into the more temperate society of our Paris time, I clutched with numb fingers a diminutive little 4to of pp. 48 with this title: "La Science du Bonhomme Richard, par M. Franklin: suivie des commandements de l'Honnête Homme, par M. Fintry-prix quatre sols. Se vend à Paris, chez Renault, Libraire, Rue de la Harpe.-1778." So, another day, was all my homeward walk a path of exceeding peace by reason of the primary, pre-adamite, genuine, juvenile, original Éloge de Franklin hugged under my arm, like healing in the wing. But the half of the enjoyment of these good gifts of fortune fails me, in that I have now no one to congratulate me or hate me for their acquisition.

M. de Senarmont promises me a letter giving the historique of the triad of Franklin treasures, from the time of M. de Veillard to his possession of them. It will not amount to much-not from lack of willingness on his part, but because the special sense in the case is wanting in him.

A dry, authenticating certificate, however, I will insist on having, and will forward it to your American address, which do not forget to advertise me of from Liverpool or London. M. de S. asks me to ask you, if you have the Duplessis photographed, to send him two or three cards; please add one other or two for me, since you will be apt to send them to my address. I shall be glad to have word from you, though in your flitting hurry it must be brief, from London, and much gladder to have news from America that you and yours are all safely and soundly arrived there.

With best regards and good wishes to all your house, I rest Yours truly,

W. H. HUNTINGTON.

Here followeth an account of ye expenditures, outlays, and disbursements of ye FRANKLIN EXPEDITION.

To a chariot and ye horseman thereof. Hire of the vehicle and pourboire, as it were oats to the driver for the greater speed

To packing B. Franklin under glass and in MSS. with extra haste and yet care

FRANCS

5

9

To the binding of B. F. on a boy his back and porterage of the same

To studiously brief telegrammatic phrase sent to
London

To arduous sperrits (with water) taken for sustentation
of the body thys day.

I

6

0.50

21.50

On the day following the receipt of the foregoing note I received the following certificate of authentication from M. de Senarmont:

MONSIEUR:

PARIS, 27 Janvier, 1867.

J'ai l'honneur de vous remettre ci-contre une note de tous les renseignements que j'ai pu recueillir sur le manuscrit de Franklin dont M. Huntington s'est rendu hier acquérir en votre nom.

Je suis heureux de vous voir possesseur de ces précieux souvenirs, et du beau portrait du fondateur de la liberté de votre patrie.

La rapidité avec laquelle j'ai été obligé de remettre le portrait à M. Huntington m'a empêché de le faire reproduire par la photographie comme j'en avais l'intention. Dans le cas où vous ferez faire cette reproduction je vous serais bien reconnaissant de vouloir bien m'en envoyer trois exemplaires. J'ai l'honneur de vous témoigner, Monsieur, l'expression de ma plus haute considération. P. DE SENARMONT.

98 Rue de Varennes.

MONSIEUR JOHN BIGELOW,

Ancien Ministre des États-Unis.

Les manuscrits de mémoires de Franklin est un in-folio de 220 pages écrit à uni-marge, sur papier dont tous les cahiers ne sont pas uniformes.

M. le Veillard, gentilhomme ordinaire du Roi, Maire de Passy, était intime ami du Docteur Franklin. Il avait vécu avec lui à Passy (près Paris) dans une société de tous les jours, pendant le temps de Franklin en France à l'époque de la guerre de l'indépendance américaine, et c'est de sa patrie que le docteur lui envoya, comme gage d'amitié, la copie de ses mémoires échangé depuis contre l'original.

Le manuscrit original est unique.

M. William Temple Franklin, petit-fils de Benjamin

Franklin, l'a recueilli au décès de son aïeul qui lui avait légué tous ses écrits. Lorsque M. Temple vient en France pour y faire l'édition qu'il a publié, il demanda à M. le Veillard sa copie pour la faire imprimer, parcequ'elle lui parut plus commode pour le travail typographique, à cause de sa netteté. Il donna à M. Veillard en échange de sa copie le manuscrit original entièrement écrit de la main de Franklin.

L'original était cependant plus complet que la copie, ce que M. Temple n'avait pas vérifié. On en trouve la preuve au 2o volume de la petite édition des Mémoires en 2 volumes, en 18mo, donnée par Jules Renouard, à Paris, en 1828. On y lit, en tête d'une suite qu'il fait paraître pour la première fois, une note (page 21), où il déclare devoir cette suite à la communication que la famille Le Veillard lui a donné du manuscrit.

L'inspection seule en démontre l'authenticité à l'appui de laquelle viennent d'ailleurs des preuves positives tirées de différentes pièces; telles que: 3 lettres du Dr. Franklin à, M. le Veillard, II lettres de M. William Temple Franklin et diverses lettres de Benjamin Franklin Bache, de Sarah Bache, sa femme, d'un libraire qui voulait acquérir le manuscrit de M. le Veillard en 1791, etc.

M. le Veillard, qui est l'auteur de la traduction française des Mémoires de Franklin, a conservé le manuscrit autographe avec le même sentiment qui déterminé son ami à lui envoyer ses mémoires encore inédits.

Après la mort de M. le Veillard, qui périt sur l'échafaud révolutionnaire en 1794, le manuscrit a passé à sa fille: an décès de celle-ci, en 1834, il est devenu la propriété de son cousin M. de Senarmont, dont le petit-fils a cédé le 26 Janvier, 1867, à Mr. John Bigelow, ancien Ministre des États-Unis à Paris.

Le manuscrit est accompagné d'un beau portrait au